Dear Yankee | November/December 2018

Pro and Con

I started to read your article on Gloucester, Massachusetts’s fight against opioids, and I could not put it down [“Port in a Storm,” September/October]. I found it gripping and frightening that this is happening to our country. The photography made the story even more heartbreaking.

I was born and raised in a small town near Pittsburgh. All the small towns in western Pennsylvania are struggling with an influx of heroin and other drugs. They do not have the resources for police nor any kind of rehab. It is a nightmare.

Drugs are everywhere, but what has happened and is happening in New England is appalling.

Robert Smith Fort Lauderdale, Florida

I look forward to each issue of your magazine. The articles about industrious New England people are mesmerizing; the photos of New England landscapes are so charming. But the most recent issue wasted many, many pages on the opioid crisis. We read about people who are hooked, who have died, the dealers who bring the drugs from Mexico straight up to our towns—our newspapers are full of this information in lurid detail. We didn’t want to be hit over the head with this subject when there is so much to show about autumn in New England.

Lisy Meyers North Haverhill, New Hampshire

Cover Critique

Your eagerly awaited September/October issue has arrived, and while I was pleased to see a dog on the cover, I was dismayed that it was one of those ubiquitous golden retrievers. My people and I are getting tired of them being the face of New England outdoor fun. We see them in almost every L.L. Bean catalog—and now Yankee! Why not consider German shepherds? We look just as good on the back of an antique pickup truck, and what’s more, that picnic basket would be a whole lot safer from intruders. I, for one, am always available for a photo shoot.

Lily Randolph, Vermont    

Write us! Send your comments to: editor@yankeemagazine.com. Please include where you reside. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Mel Allen

Now editor at large, Mel Allen's first byline in Yankee appeared in 1977 and he joined the staff in 1979 as a senior editor. Eventually he became executive editor and led the staff as editor from 2006 to 2025. During his career he has edited and written for every section of the magazine, including home, food, and travel, while his pursuit of long-form storytelling has always been vital to his mission as well. He has raced a sled dog team, crawled into the dens of black bears, fished with the legendary Ted Williams, profiled astronaut Alan Shephard, and stood beneath a battleship before it was launched. He also once helped author Stephen King round up his pigs for market, but that story is for another day. Mel is author of Here in New England: Unforgettable Stories of People, Places, and Memories That Connect Us All (Earth Sky + Water LLC, 2025).

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